


Save Him

by castivak



Series: We All Enter This Life For A Reason [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent, Character Death, Curses, Gen, Human Castiel, Human Gabriel (Supernatural), Human Jack Kline, Hunter Castiel, Hurt Jack Kline, Nurse Meg Masters, Seizures, Sick Jack Kline, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:38:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17254355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castivak/pseuds/castivak
Summary: castiel returns home one night and finds his apartment destroyed, but thats not the first thing he freaks out about





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> prequel to rescue mission

when castiel opened his apartment door, he expected to see jack at the kitchen island doing his homework or reading a book on the couch, but instead, he was greeted with a mess.  
  
the coffee table was turned on its side, the books and things that were on it now strewn about on the floor, jack's backpack was open and its contents also spilled across the floor, the coat rack had been knocked over, some broken dishes rested on the tiled kitchen floor, and some books had fallen out of the bookcase.  
  
castiel put down his bag and rushed to jack's bedroom, seeing it messy as well and his son laying unconscious on the floor, the man rushing over and bending next to him, gathering jack into his arms.  
  
"jack? jack? hey, buddy can you hear me?" castiel cooed, lightly patting the kid's cheek as he tried to wake him up, shaking him gently and keeping a hand on his cheek, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw blue eyes look up at him.  
  
"da-dad--" jack tried, cut off as he started coughing, castiel sitting him up more and keeping a hand on his back, rubbing gently. "easy jack, easy."  
  
jack rested his head on his father's chest, trying to catch his breath and the man smiled at him, taking his face in his hands once again and checking him for injuries, "are you hurt?"  
  
"i...i think i'm okay, my chest is a bit sore, but i'm okay otherwise."  
  
"good, that's good...do you remember what happened?" castiel cooed, watching as his son furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he tried to remembered what he had witnessed.  
  
"a..a man came in and..and he started yelling, b-but i don't know what he said and i can't...i can't remember anything, i'm sorry."  
  
castiel placed a small kiss to jack's head, giving the boy a pat on the back before both of them got up, "it's okay, get some rest, jack."  
  
the teenager nodded and laid on his bed, castiel leaving and starting to clean up the main room.

  
**|•◇•◇•◇•◇•|**

  
"da-- _bluuegh_!--dad!"  
  
castiel jumped out of bed as he heard jack call him, rushing to the bathroom and seeing his teenage son hunched over the toilet bowl; jack's hair was sticking up in all kinds of directions, the strands drenched in sweat and some stray pieces plastered to his forehead, vomit staining his shirt and dripping from his lips.  
  
"oh, jack..."  
  
"i d'n't f'l s'g'd...." jack slurred, finishing his sentence with a harsh gag and castiel's heart sank, the man getting on his knees beside his son and rubbing circles in his back as he continued to get sick, hoping to comfort the boy at least somewhat.  
  
after what felt like hours (really just five minutes), jack spit into the porcelain toilet bowl and he fell back against castiel's chest, shivering like a scared puppy even though he was sweating terribly.  
  
the man leaned forward and flushed the toilet, helping jack stand up and practically carrying him to his bedroom, "let's get you into something that's not covered in puke, yeah?" castiel cooed as he sat jack down on the bed, going into the kid's closet and pulling out another sleep shirt, helpimg him out of the stained one before helping him into the clean one.  
  
castiel placed his hand on jack's forehead, eyebrows furrowing as he felt the amount of heat the boy was giving off, he walked back towards the bathrrom, tossing jack's souled shirt in the washer on the way before retrieving some flu medication from the cabinet.  
  
"here buddy, take this." the man cooed as he gave jack a couple pills and some water, the teenager taking them with shaky hands and doing as his father told him.  
  
castiel took back the water and jack laid down on his bed, eyes immediately shutting and his father smiled, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and putting the blanket over his torso before going back to his bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meg masters : nurse and castiel's best friend
> 
> gabriel novak : castiel's brother and fellow hunter

it had been a week.  
  
jack had been sick for a damn _week_.  
  
castiel had thought whatever flu he had contracted from god knows where (probably school, they're literal breeding grounds for germs) would have passed by now, but it only seemed to get worse.  
  
the poor kid could barely keep anything down, he was (incredibly) lucky if the toast or soup his father made him eat stayed in him; but sometimes, he would get sick not even ten minutes later.  
  
jack had developed this cough as well, it going between dry-and-wheezing to wet-and-rough; both of them causing the boy to scrunch his face up in pain.  
  
"meg, he's been sick with the flu on steroids--if it even _is_ the flu--for too long. im not being a dramatic parent, im just a parent." castiel spat through the phone, standing by the microwave as he waited for the chicken broth to warm up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "please just book me the closest appointment i can get, i don't care what time its at."  
  
_"alright clarence, alright. i'll book you right now, okay?"_  
  
"thanks meg, i--"  
  
"dad?"  
  
castiel looked up as he heard jack, the boy holding a hand over his mouth as he coughed, "you alright, buddy?" castiel cooed, his eyes blowing wide as he saw the blood splattered on his son's hand, more blood starting to leak from his nose; "i...i don't know."  
  
jack froze as his eyes rolled back, collapsing to the floor and castiel rushed over, "meg, send an ambulance to my place right now!" he shouted through the phone before hanging up, gathering his son in his arms, tears stinging his eyes as he watched the blood leak from jack's nose and mouth.  
  
castiel grabbed jack's hand, clutching it tightly and keeping their hands on the teenager's chest, needing to know that his heart was still beating; "you're gonna be alright jack, okay? you're gonna be just fine."  
  
jack started to tremble, coughing roughly and his body jolted forward, blood spilling out onto his tshirt; castiel refusing to let go as his son hacked up blood, not moving even when he heard the sirens from down the street get louder and louder, only moving when his door burst open and he stood up, holding jack up in his arms and paramedics taking the kid from him, loading him onto a gurney.  
  
castiel grabbed jack's hand again, following the paramedics to the ambulance and climbing in the back, rubbing jack's knuckles with his thumb; "i'm right here jack, you're gonna be okay."  
  
the rest of the ride was a blur, he barely remembered getting out of the ambulance and rushing into the hospital, hand still clutching onto jack's tightly, even if the boy couldn't squeeze his hand back.  
  
"sir, you can't go back there." a nurse said as they took jack to a room, castiel being pushed away and his son's hand slipped out of his grip, "wait, please i--"  
  
"sir, we need to examine him, he's in good hands." the nurse spoke before she left him, going into the small room where jack was surrounded by doctors and nurses.  
  
"jack, i'm right here!" castiel shouted before the glass doors were shut, the room's walls made of glass so that he could see everything that they were doing to his son, but it wasn't long before he walked over to a chair, sitting down and putting his head in his hands, holding back the urge to vomit.

  
**|•◇•◇•◇•◇•◇•|**

  
"wait, what?"  
  
"he's testing negative for everything, not even a damn cold is showing up; but, his body is just....starting to shut itself down." meg explained, looking up at her best friend with a pitiful gaze, castiel looking through the glass wall and watching his son's chest slowly rise and fall with each breath.  
  
"he's coughing up _blood_ , how could it not be anything?" the man sighed, rubbing his temples as he took a deep breath, fighting the urge to scream and cry. "didn't you say that it smelled like sulfur when you got home?"  
  
"yeah, the whole place smelled like rotten eggs for a couple days."  
  
"clarence, are you _that_ oblivious?" meg asked, raising an eyebrow at her best friend, seeing the confusion on his face morph into realization as he understood what she was saying, "this isn't tuberculosis or something, cas. its--"  
  
"--a curse."  
  
castiel took in a shaky breath, going into the small room that jack was being kept in and sitting in the chair next to the bed, taking the teenager's hand in both of his own, putting his forehead on their joined hands and letting suppressed tears finally flow.

  
**|•◇•◇•◇•◇•◇•|**

  
"gabe--yes, i _know_ , i said i was retired--don't mock me, its not the fucking time." castiel groaned through the phone, rubbing his temples as he talked to his asshole of a brother over the phone.  
  
he had been talking to every hunter, retired or not, in his contacts list for hours; desperately looking for a cure or reversal spell.  
  
_"cassie, i don't think you're messing with some low level demon or some shit--"_  
  
"--well, i'll kill him either fucking way, i don't care how high up satan's ass he is."  
  
_"--let me finish, kiddo. i was **gonna** say that it sounds like its some ancient ass curse and if it took a week before it started to actually get serious, then the thing is acting slow as hell."_  
  
"yeah....most people would be dead by now." castiel sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared down at the lore book before him, the smell of old paper making his eyes burn and his head spin. "but, if its acting slow, then there's more time to find a cure."  
  
_"there might not be a cure."_  
  
"gabriel, don't even _think_ that, there has to be a cure."  
  
_"some spells don't have cures or reversals, cas. you just have to consider--"_  
  
"im not letting my son die, gabriel!" the man shouted through the phone, a tear rolling down his cheek from frustration and fear; he knew gabriel had a point, he just didn't want to consider it. "....if i was home when he got attacked--"  
  
_"cas, don't blame yourself for this."_  
  
"of course im gonna blame myself for this! i could've put sigils around the apartment! i could've taught jack how to handle demons! i could've done so much more than i did and my son wouldn't be fucking dying!"  
  
_"castiel novak, listen to me!"_  
  
castiel froze as gabriel shouted through the phone; _"yes, maybe you could've taught jack how to stab a demon, but that would traumatize him! he's a **kid**! do you wanna become mom? no, you fucking don't. i gurantee you that all jack wants is for his **father** to be there for him when he feels like this. he needs you right now, cas. don't freak out and scream at all the hunters you can find! be by your son's side as he deals with this!"_  
  
castiel wiped tears away from his cheeks, having started to cry halfway through gabriel's lecture; his brother was more than right, he should be by jack's side instead of staring at dusty old books all day.  
  
"god, im the shittiest father ever."  
  
_"you got time cas, be there for your kid."_  
  
"...fuck..." the man muttered after gabriel hung up, putting his phone down and slamming the book he was reading shut, rubbing his hands over his face before he got up, peaking his head into jack's bedroom and seeing his son fast asleep in bed.  
  
castiel walked over to jack's bedside, leaning forward and moving some sweaty strands of hair away from his face before planting a kiss to his forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

castiel looked up as he heard a knock at the door, glancing back down at jack who gave him a small smile, his father smiling back and patting his shoulder gently before getting up to answer the door.  
  
castiel opened the door, letting out a small grunt as he was immediately pulled into a hug by rowena, chuckling before hugging her back; "hello rowena."  
  
"hi sweetie pie, its been awhile."  
  
"yeah....sorry that this is how we get to meet up again."  
  
"i'm more than happy to help, im 'auntie ro' after all." rowena smiled as she pulled away, castiel smiling at the mention of name that his son had given her when he was a child. "now, where is he?"  
  
rowena shut the door behind her and grabbed her bag before castiel led her down the hallway, taking her into jack's room and he pushed the door open; "jack, you have a visitor."  
  
jack looked up, smiling at the sught of rowena and immediately trying to sit up, his face scrunching up in pain as he struggled and castiel rushed over, helping him ease up into a sitting position.  
  
rowena walked over, gently hugging the young boy and he hugged back, "hi auntie ro." jack mumbled and rowena smiled before pulling, "hello, darling."  
  
the witch ran her hand through his hair before sitting down on the chair beside his bed, "cas, you're gonna hate me for this, but i need you to wait outside while i talk to him."  
  
"why?"  
  
"magic is tricky business and i dont want to mix things up with your cute little self in the room." she smiled and castiel rolled his eyes, going over to jack and kissing his head before leaving the room, leaving rowena to do her thing.  
  
after over an hour of anxious waiting, castiel looked up from his lap as he heard a door creak open, eyes wide as he saw rowena but his expression dropped as he saw the defeated look on her face, "....castiel...."  
  
"no." castiel mumbled, getting out of his seat, "no, no...th-there has to be a cure." he huffed, pacing his small living room and rowena put a hand on his arm, stopping him from pacing and he spun to face her, "there....there has to be..."  
  
"cas..."  
  
"there....there has...." the man trailed off, lip quivering and he took in a shaky breath, rowena wrapping her arms around his waist and he hugged back, putting his head on her shoulder and beginning to sob.  
  
his son was going to die.

  
**|•◇•◇•◇•◇•◇•◇•|**

  
castiel woke up as he heard the sound of retching, rushing down the hall and into the bathroom, finding jack hunched over the toilet and weakly vomiting into it, bile and blood splashing into the basin.  
  
the man bent down beside his son, rubbing circles into his back as jack heaved painfully, face screwed up in agony and castiel's heart clenched, "you're okay buddy, s'gonna be okay."  
  
jack coughed roughly as he started shivering, the kid making a strangled sound before his small shivers quickly turning into full-body shakes and castiel realized that he was seizing.  
  
jack fell to the floor and castiel grabbed him, holding jack's arms to his chest so that the boy didn't hurt himself, blood dribbling out of his mouth and castiel pulled his shirt off, folding it and putting it between jack's teeth so that he didn't bite his tongue.  
  
castiel held onto jack for what felt like forever before the kid went completely limp, letting out a shallow breath through his nose.  
  
"jack?" the man mumbled, removing the stained shirt from his son's mouth and lifting him up off the cold floor, his heart dropping as jack remained completely limp. "jack? buddy?"  
  
castiel cradled the boy in his arms, putting his hand on jack's wrist and sobbing as he didn't feel any pulse, pulling him closer and resting his head on top of his, letting himself choke out sobs as he held his son.  
  
"i'm so sorry buddy." castiel muttered, jaw quivering as he took in a shaky breath and tears poured down his cheeks, "i'm so sorry."


End file.
